233rd Base Support Battalion
The 233rd Base Support Battalion is the newest member of the 26th Area Support Group, realigning to it on Oct. 1, 1998 from the 104th ASG. The 233rd serves a population of more than 11,000 soldiers, U.S. civilians, local national employees, family members and retirees in two different states, Hessen and Bavaria. The BSB covers 3,000 square kilometers, a wide swath of territory in the southern part of the German state of Hessen, extending from Griesheim (the home of the newspaper, Stars and Stripes Europe) in the west to Aschaffenburg in the east.
The BSB headquarters and the main concentration of units and facilities are in Darmstadt, which is just off Autobahn 5, not far from Frankfurt International Airport. A city rich in culture, Darmstadt is poised to lead the way into the 21st Century, with its Technical University Darmstadt and the European Space Operations Center.
The 233rd BSB's second largest concentration of population is in Babenhausen to the east, with many of its families residing in housing areas in Aschaffenburg. The BSB also supports AFN Frankfurt, the Army printing center in Rödelheim and Army elements on Rhein-Main Air Base
The collapse of the Warsaw Pact had a significant impact on the decision by NATO to reduce troops in Europe. In September 1990, USAREUR implemented the Community Command Plan in order to consolidate the organizational elements of operations and management in the communities. The intent of the Community Command Plan is to streamline base operations management and allow tactical commanders to concentrate on their war-fighting mission.
Under this plan, USAREUR realigned its separate military communities into base support battalions, under the control of area support groups. The support battalions provide operational support for the resident soldiers, civilians and their families at the local level. Continuing troop reductions have resulted in further consolidations and realignment of Base Support Battalions and Area Support Groups.
On Oct. 16, 1991, the former United States Army Military Community Activity Darmstadt became the 233rd Base Support Battalion under the control of the 103d Area Support Group, whose headquarters was in Frankfurt. Two years later, on Oct. 1, 1993, the 233d Base Support Battalion was realigned under the control of the 104th Area Support Group, whose headquarters is in Hanau. The 103rd was dissolved as part of the drawdown of the Frankfurt military community. On Oct. 1, 1998, the 233rd again realigned, this time coming under the 26th ASG.
